Supreme Court Overturns Tinubu Pardon, Affirms Death Sentence for Abuja Housewife Maryam Sanda

• The Supreme Court has nullified the pardon granted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Maryam Sanda, reinstating her original death sentence over the 2020 killing of her husband.

The Supreme Court has overturned the pardon granted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Abuja-based housewife Maryam Sanda.

President Tinubu had earlier reduced Sanda’s sentence to 12 years as part of a broader presidential pardon aimed at decongesting prisons and promoting restorative justice. The pardon also extended to figures such as Sir Herbert Macaulay, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Ken Saro-Wiwa (posthumously), and other inmates convicted of offenses ranging from drug-related crimes to fraud.

In a judgement delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court, in a four-to-one split decision, reinstated the death sentence originally handed down by the Court of Appeal, Abuja. The Apex Court dismissed all issues raised in Sanda’s appeal as without merit.

The Court of Appeal had previously upheld the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory’s 2020 ruling, which sentenced Sanda to death by hanging for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute.

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Justice Moore Adumein, delivering the lead judgment, stated that the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt and affirmed that the Court of Appeal was correct to uphold the trial court’s decision.

Sanda had spent six years and eight months at Suleja Prison. The presidential pardon had reduced her sentence to 12 years “based on compassionate ground, in the best interest of the children, good conduct, embraced new lifestyle, model to prisoners and remorsefulness.”

The Supreme Court’s decision now restores her original death sentence, overturning the presidential clemency.